Shutter Island film review

Film Title: Shutter Island Year of Production: 2008 Director: Martin Scorsese Genre/Genres: Thriller and psychological The brief plot outline for the film is that two U.S marshals one being played by Leonardo DiCaprio have to go and investigate a psychiatric facility on Shutter Island. One scene that impressed me most was the scene when Teddy was having dreams about his wife the use of flash backs and the repetition of the fire works really well, I like how this scene really drags you in and feel emotion as you see his wife burns. This scene uses pathetic fallacy as well to help set the tone the storm and the pouring rain makes you feel his pain as she burns away. The other scene that really impressed me was the scene with the twist. It’s one of those films that you either get the twist or you don’t and for this film I didn’t pick up the twist. It’s managed to keep me pulled in for the whole duration of the film and I really didn’t expect that to be the ending. The fact that it had all been in Teddy’s head really made me think that he was there investigating. Although I didn’t guess the twist I like the way they used it the whole way through and things actually foreshadowed this event such as the fire in the cave and the different characters playing Rachel (his wife). This helped me to understand the good ways in which psychological horror can work. This film really got into your head and made you believe that he was there investigating when you realise that this isn’t the story. The collision cuts were used very well especially in the scene when they are in ward c. They were not even supposed to enter so you expect something to happen but because of the silence the whole time in there you don’t expect it to happen. It goes from silence to Teddy being jumped on and the shouting. The film is left just after you find out the big twist so they have left it as an open ending this makes your mind carry on thinking and you don’t really know how to feel. The film left me feeling quite confused but once I thought about it, it was actually a really clever way to end the film. The big theme of loneliness is played throughout from Rachel in the cave, and the Rachel that goes missing. Also when interviewing all of the characters about the disappearance they explain the isolation of just being locked up in the cells and not being allowed out. This is also emphasised through the use of the storm and the electricity going down because all the characters want freedom and want to get out so they use this as time to escape. The aspects of the film that I feel I would like to include in my own trailer would be the good use of pathetic fallacy. I think because you see the stormy see and the torrential rain it creates tone and mood because it creates the feeling of moodiness and tension. Because the tension is building up in the sky it foreshadows the ending of the film. The setting works really well because entering a place like that is always going to leave you feeling uptight and out of place so you expect it and it really gives of that sense of isolation through it being an island and the large grey buildings and large electronic fences just make you think of being a prisoner and being trapped. I think the aspects of the film that I wouldn’t like to include in my own trailer would be the way that if you understand the hint and you guess the twist then the film is giving too much away. I think they have done the twist quite well but there are some people out there that have guessed the twist and therefore have found that it has ruined the film. Maybe they could have made it less obvious and a bit more subtle so that then the twist was more of a shock to people. I really liked the scene where they entered ward c. I think this scene really worked well to add suspense because at the start of the film they said about them not being able to go into ward c without permission and you see them enter this scary building where everyone has guns and there are plenty of people on guard. I just think this sets the mood of the scene because the silence in the background creates tension and adds jump scares. I think I could use this in my own trailer if I was to use the correct setting and the correct location I feel I would be able to achieve the same feeling of being scared for people who watch.